You Are Cordially Invited (episode)
The matriarch of the House of Martok challenges Worf and Dax's marriage. Summary A week has passed since the Federation retook Deep Space 9 and the mood of celebration is very much in the air. The station has been designated headquarters for the Ninth Fleet and while the Federation is still at war, it feels very far away from Deep Space 9 at the moment. In Ops, Captain Sisko arrives for work and he and Major Kira warmly wish each other a good morning, and the two note how happy they are to be working together again. However the captain has a lot of work in front on him, beginning with General Martok who is waiting in his office. Martok is waiting to meet with Sisko after the news that he is to be designated the new Supreme Commander of the Ninth Fleet. Captain Sisko recommended him for the position but Martok is not pleased, as it means vast amounts of paperwork to do. Sisko offers Martok quarters on the station however the Klingon refuses as he'd prefer to remain on the Rotarran. Martok asks Sisko if he can keep Worf as his principal intelligence officer to which the captain agrees. The conversation then drifts to Worf's son Alexander and Sisko asks after him. Martok tells Sisko that he is a fine boy with a good heart, but admits he isn't much of a warrior. In Quark's, Jadzia Dax, Worf and Alexander are discussing an incident that happened on the Rotarran when Alexander flooded an entire deck with hydraulic fluid. Alexander also mentions that he has received new orders; he is to transfer to the Ya'Vang. When Alexander leaves to get more blood wine, Quark approaches the two and asks if they have reconsidered having their wedding in the bar. Worf tells Quark firmly that the wedding will be held on Qo'noS after the war is over however Jadzia, after looking thoughtful during the conversation suddenly jumps in and agrees to Quark's request. Worf is surprised, but Jadzia explains that this way Alexander can attend the wedding before he leaves. Worf agrees and tells Alexander that he wishes for him to be his Tawi'Yan, a swordbearer, roughly equivalent to a best man. Alexander is so happy about this that he accidentally knocks over a tray of drinks. While Dax and Kira Nerys are discussing the wedding later, Dax notices that Odo changed direction to avoid meeting them. Kira tells her it is because of what happened during the occupation of the station, of which Dax has no idea. Later, Worf meets with Sisko, Martok, Miles O'Brien and Julian Bashir. He asks them to join Martok and himself in Kal'Hyah, a mental and spiritual journey that lasts for four nights before a Klingon wedding. Martok advises the four to get a good night's sleep and a good meal before entering. Later, Sisko and Martok go to one of the upper pylons, to greet Martok's wife Sirella, who has arrived on a ship. By marrying Worf, Jadzia will become a member of the House of Martok. As a mistress of a Great House, Sirella approves all the weddings conducted by its members. Sirella greets Martok by telling him he has put on weight – and his hair is going gray. After Sirella tells him she expected him to be in his grave, he tells her he will attempt to die soon – before the year is out if possible. Sirella then travels to meet with Dax and is extremely hostile to her. Sirella tells her that it would be difficult for a Klingon female to impress her and that for an alien it will almost be impossible. Worf confronts Martok asking him why he never told him Sirella was opposed to his marriage to Jadzia. Martok tells him Sirella believes that by allowing aliens into the House of Martok, they risk losing their Klingon identity. Martok reveals that Sirella does not like Worf either. Meanwhile, Sisko, O'Brien, Bashir and Alexander begin the Kal'Hyah, in one of Quark's holosuites, all eager for what they assume will be four days of Klingon debauchery. Worf shows them the Ma'Stakas, that are to be used at the conclusion of the wedding in a ceremonial "attack" on Worf and Dax. This tradition stems from Kahless and Lukara's wedding when they were nearly killed by Molor's troops. Worf also mentions that the food sitting nearby is not to be eaten, it is there to tempt them to break their fast. This is the first trial on the path to Kal'Hyah – deprivation. Everyone realizes that they are in for four days of hell. At the same time, Dax is undergoing a trial of her own. She is holding two braziers and lifts them unto a column. Sirella is unimpressed and orders her to do it again. Sirella then tells her to end her attempt as she believes the House will not tolerate her weakness and will always be considered an outsider. Dax reacts angrily to this and lifts the braziers again. Jadzia's next trial is to recite the history of all the women in Sirella's family. Dax then tells her that one of Sirella's ancestors who was apparently the daughter of a Klingon Emperor was in fact a concubine. This infuriates Sirella who orders Jadzia to continue with the 'correct' history. While this is happening, Kira congratulates Jake Sisko on having his stories of life under the Dominion occupation published by the Federation News Service. Odo approaches but once again avoids Kira. Kira and Jake then see Sisko, Bashir, O'Brien and Alexander enter the holosuites again, on the second night of their path to Kal'Hyah. This trial is the shedding of blood. Sisko, O'Brien and Alexander take a step back before Worf and Martok turn around. Although Worf is surprised to see that Bashir has 'volunteered' to go first, Bashir is even more surprised. Worf tells the doctor not to worry, as the pain only lasts a few seconds, and approaches him with the knife... Meanwhile Dax is hosting a raucous party in her quarters with many people including Kira, Nog, Quark, Rom, Leeta, Morn, and Jake. A dancer is also performing with a two handed knife, burning on each side. This dancer, Manuele Atoa, is actually a lieutenant from the . Meanwhile, Bashir and O'Brien are chained to the ceiling above a floor covered with hot coals. Bashir tells O'Brien he is having a vision – he is going to kill Worf. O'Brien agrees with him. Odo arrives at the party after receiving complaints about the noise and that he also heard there was a fight. Kira tells Odo the fight was between Morn and a Bolian, but the two are getting along fine now and that she is authorizing the party to continue. Odo turns to leave but he and Kira finally realize they have to talk about what happened during the occupation. Allowing his deputies the rest of the night off to enjoy the party, Odo and Kira leave to talk in private. Sirella arrives and tells Dax it is time for the Bre'Nan ritual, to which Dax tells her she is busy. Sirella insults her, calling her a Risian slut. Sirella orders her to come with her, or she will cancel the wedding. After refusing Sirella pulls a knife and Dax disarms her. Sirella leaves and the party resumes. The next morning Dax wakes up with a monumental hangover and sluggishly orders a Raktajino from the replicator. Worf comes by telling Dax they have to talk; Sirella has canceled the wedding. Dax begins to explain what happened when the two hears voices coming from the ajoining room. Opening it they find Odo and Kira, who are still talking about what happened. Dax tells the two it's 1030, and the two quickly leave as they're both meant to be on duty. Worf tells her to go to Sirella and beg for forgiveness to which she reacts angrily to and tells Worf that all they should do is go to Captain Sisko and he can marry the two instead. Worf is upset that Jadzia has so little regard for his traditions and feelings and sadly leaves telling her that Sirella was right... there should be no wedding. O'Brien and Bashir enter Quark's bar where they see the Klingon banners being removed. Quark tells them that the wedding has been canceled. The two are sorry for the two for a couple of seconds... then immediately order dinner. Martok meets with Worf and convinces him to apologize to Jadzia. O'Brien and Bashir are just about to eat a huge meal, when Sisko, Martok and Alexander enter telling them that the wedding is back on. Sisko tells Quark to remove the food, that there should be no food for those on the path to Kal'Hyah. Quark tells them there are no refunds for those on the path to Kal'Hyah either. However, Worf enters and tells them that Jadzia has refused to be married. Sisko then meets with Jadzia. Jadzia finds the notion of apologizing to Sirella insulting as she says she was once the Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire and that she helped to negotiate the Khitomer Accords before Worf was born. Sisko tells her it was Curzon who negotiated the accords – not her and that she should go to Sirella and beg for forgiveness... hell, she should grovel if she has to! Sisko also tells Jadzia that if she cares so little for Klingon traditions she should never have fallen in love with Worf in the first place. Jadzia tells Sisko that her life was completely mapped out; friends, a career, but then one day a certain Klingon came aboard the station and all of a sudden she found herself falling in love with him. Jadzia realizes she has to apologize to Sirella, and thanks her old friend asking him whatever happened to the ensign she used to know. Sisko simply tells her he grew up. In Quark's several Klingons begin to beat Klingon drums. The marriage service is almost operatic. It relates the creation of the Klingons by the gods who were later killed by their own creations. After Worf and Dax recite their vows, swearing to join with each other against all that oppose them, Sirella pronounces them married. Bashir asks Martok if it is time for the ceremonial attack but Martok tells him to be patient. Sirella embraces Jadzia, welcoming her to the House of Martok. Martok then tells Bashir to attack and he and O'Brien rush forward angrily with their Ma'Stakas held high... Memorable Quotes "Handsome young man...he must get his looks from his mother's side." : - Quark musing to Worf and Jadzia, referring to Alexander Rozhenko "As you probably know by now, Jadzia and I will be married here on the station in six days." "There's nothing more romantic than a wedding on DS9 in springtime." "...when the neutrinos are in bloom." : - Worf, Bashir and O'Brien "You've put on weight...and your hair is going grey." "My... deterioration is proceeding apace." "I thought you would be in your grave by now." (laughing) "I shall endeavor to die, this year, if possible." : - Sirella and Martok, upon Sirella's arrival at Deep Space 9 "Sirella is a woman of strong convictions. She believes that by bringing aliens into our families we risk losing our identity as Klingons." "That is a prejudiced, xenophobic view." "We ''are Klingons, Worf. We don't embrace other cultures, we conquer them." : - '''Martok' and Worf, about Worf's marriage to Jadzia "There IS going to be a party, isn't there?" "You're asking me? I can barely say my name in Klingon." : - O'Brien and Alexander Rozhenko "There are six trials we must face in the path to ''Kal'Hyah. This is the first - deprivation. We now begin a fast that will continue until the day of the wedding." "''That's four days away." "It is a short time, I know. But we must make the best of it." "What are the other five trials?" "Blood, pain, sacrifice, anguish... and death." "Sounds like marriage alright." "How would YOU know?" : - Worf, Bashir, Martok, Sisko and O'Brien "I sold my first book today." "Really? How much did you get for it?" "It's just a figure of speech. The Federation News Service is going to publish a book of my stories about life on the station under Dominion rule." "And they're not paying you?" "No." "Well, then you have my sympathies, and the first round of drinks is on the house." "Really?" "No. It's a figure of speech." : - Jake and Quark "Miles... it's working. I've had a vision, about the future. I can see it so clearly." "What is it?" "I'm gonna kill Worf. I'm gonna kill Worf. That's what I'm gonna do. I can see it clearly now, I'm going to kill... him..." "Kill Worf." "Kill Worf." "Kill Worf... Kill Worf." : - Bashir and O'Brien, on the path to Kal'Hyah "We are not accorded the luxury of choosing the women we fall in love with. Do you think Sirella is anything like the woman I thought that I'd marry? She is a prideful, arrogant, mercurial woman who shares my bed far too infrequently for my taste. And yet... I love her deeply. We Klingons often tout our prowess in battle, our desire for glory and honor above all else... but how hollow is the sound of victory without someone to share it with? Honor gives little comfort to a man alone in his home... and in his heart." : - Martok, to Worf discussing marriage "Quark, take it all away. No food for those on the path to Kal'Hyah!" "No refunds for those on the path to Kal'Hyah as well." : - Sisko and Quark, upon learning that Worf wedding will take place as planned "I had friends, a career, adventure. Then one day, this Klingon with a bad attitude walked into my life. And the next thing I know, I'm getting married! After 356 years, and seven lifetimes, I still lead with my heart." "You know, that is what I have always loved about you. And I think that's why Worf loves you, too." : - Dax and Sisko, looking at the big picture Background Information Script * The working title of this episode was "Once Upon a Wedding". * Ronald D. Moore saw this as an episode which would allow him to correct an inaccurate impression of Klingon society which he himself had created. After ''The Next Generation'', Moore felt that he had (unintentionally) shoved Klingon women into the background, promoting the view that they were unimportant to the proper functioning of society. This dates back to The Next Generation episode in which it is revealed that women cannot sit on the Klingon High Council. In subsequent Klingon episodes, women had virtually no role, and the whole society ended up appearing to be completely male dominated, almost like Ferengi society. This was something Moore was keen to rectify in this episode, and as such, he determined that if men rule the Council, then women rule the Houses, and that the mistress of a great House wields unchallenged power in terms of the functioning of that house, thus restoring a degree of balance to Klingon gender roles. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) Party * The [[USS Sutherland|USS Sutherland]] was the ship that Lt. Commander Data captained in . Ronald D. Moore had originally intended that the Sutherland be established in "You Are Cordially Invited" as something of a 'party ship', and that whenever it came to the station, something wild would ensue. However, this aspect was dropped from the teleplay for time reasons. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * To ensure the right level of energy for the party scenes, director David Livingston literally staged an actual party, including live music. He did this because it meant the actors had to shout on-set to be heard, which added an air of realism to the scene. As he explains, "With that drumming in the background, they had to be more active, they had to deal with it. If I'd have had them stop playing, the people would have toned down their performances." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * Of the party scene in general, David Livingston comments, "The party scene I think everybody was afraid of, because it was so daunting, and I went into it saying, 'This is a great challenge.' Traditionally, party sequences on ''Star Trek end up not being very interesting; it's just people ending up standing around talking. But the writers infused it in the writing with a certain amount of energy by having a fire dancer, and I said to myself, 'I've got to bring that same kind of visual energy and excitement that they put on the page, otherwise it's going to be like a lot of the other Star Trek parties that aren't compelling and don't have any energy to them. My template was the party that filmed from the sixties, which just had this frenetic kind of energy, with people moving around all the time, and having somebody that walks bringing you to another scene that takes place there, so it's all continuous, you're not just cutting from one part of the room to the other, something brings you to the other scene that's occurring''." (24th Century Wedding, DS9 Season 6 DVD, Special Features) * The dance performed by Aron Eisenberg (Nog) was completely improvised on-set. David Livingston simply told Eisenberg to dance "as goofy as you want." Terry Farrell joining in was also completely improvised. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) Eisenberg has claimed that in his seven years on the show, this was the only time for him that a piece of improvisation made it into the final episode. (24th Century Wedding, DS9 Season 6 DVD, Special Features) * Ronald D. Moore has speculated that Dax may have slept with Lieutenant Atoa had Sirella not interrupted the party. (24th Century Wedding, DS9 Season 6 DVD, Special Features) * During the second take of the scene where Dax punches Sirella, Terry Farrell accidently punched Shannon Cochran for real. (24th Century Wedding, DS9 Season 6 DVD, Special Features) Behind the Scenes * A question that does not seem to be addressed in this episode is where either the crew of the or Worf's foster family are during Worf's wedding. The absence of the Enterprise crew would indeed be unusual considering the eight years Worf served with them and the personal connections they established. However, one possible explanation is that the Enterprise was too busy with a war-related task, and it may not have been safe enough for the Rozhenkos to travel to DS9 at such a volatile time. The wedding had also been abruptly rescheduled, giving potential guests only seven days notice. In reality, the producers had wanted the Enterprise crew to appear in non-speaking roles but only LeVar Burton and Jonathan Frakes could be secured, mainly due to their having offices on the Paramount lot, and it was decided that it had to be all or nothing, so the plan was scrapped. :Reference is made to the absence of the Enterprise crew in the ''Star Trek/'' '' crossover Planet X, when Worf, visiting the'' Enterprise'', apologizes for not waiting for them, saying that there was no time due to Alexander needing to leave in a short time. Captain Picard, however, assures Worf that he understands, and the entire senior staff toasts Worf's marriage in a private celebration of their own shortly before the arrival of the X-Men.'' * Neither Nana Visitor nor Rene Auberjonois were happy with how the resolution between Kira and Odo was presented; ie, off-screen. Ira Steven Behr was also unhappy with it and he has admitted, "that was a bad mistake." The reason the scene was written that way was because of a last minute rewrite and no time to come up with anything else. As Ronald D. Moore explains, "We had originally planned that in this episode we were going to start having Odo lock himself away, refusing to mingle with anyone else on the station. The events of and had really shaken him and made him wonder, 'What am I doing, where do I belong, look at what I almost did.' So he was going to show up at the wedding and make an unexpected announcement. He would say, 'I've decided I can't be friends with any of you anymore, because clearly you can't trust me, so I need to go my own way. I'll do my job but that's it and that's all that's ever going to be.' And then he would walk out again. And the people there were going to go 'Whoa, what does this mean?' Then we were going to play Odo completely different for the rest of the season." At the last minute however, Behr, Hans Beimler and Auberjonois came to Moore to enquire where the character was ultimately going to end up. Auberjonois in particular felt strongly about this new development, feeling that Odo was being alienated, and they wondered what Moore's ultimate plan was, how was he going to get Odo back into the fold. Unfortunately, he didn't have one, he hadn't thought that far ahead, so the plan was dropped at the last minute. As Moore says, "It felt wrong to take him out of the mix and alienate him from everybody without a clear idea in our heads about why we were doing it." This change in plans however, left no time for Moore to write a deep scene of resolution between Odo and Kira. He does acknowledge however, that his off-screen solution wasn't entirely successful; "I know Nana and Rene don't like it, and some of the fans don't like it, and ''I don't like it. It's just one of those things that we had to do because we were out of time, and I felt that I had to do something so that it didn't seem as if we hadn't even touched on it''." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * Director David Livingston had originally intended that the scene where Bashir and O'Brien discuss killing Worf was to be shot entirely in one long take that would start on their feet, then tilt upwards, before finally moving in for a two-shot. He ultimately decided against it because it meant that that the actors would genuinely have to hang from the rail for the duration of the take. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * J.G. Hertzler (Martok) and Shannon Cochran (Sirella) based their performances in their scene together on Benedick and Beatrice in Shakespeare's . (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion) * A scene in the script, but not in the final episode, involved the Starfleet members clearing out their quarters, which had been occupied by various members of the Dominion. Doctor Bashir's quarters were occupied by Weyoun who was apparently fond of collecting various items and studying them in his quarters. The items included shoes, coasters, bits of string, broken bottles, power cells, picture frames and chair legs. Nog's quarters were in an even worse state and had been occupied by Jake Sisko. * Terry Farrell hates the shot where she enters Quark's and walks up to the altar, because she feels that she looks "a bit like a truck-driver walking up in this wedding dress." The reason for this is that the Klingon boots she had to wear were too big for her, and she didn't have time to rehearse with them. During the shoot, she thought she had covered up her discomfort, but when she saw the completed show she realized that she hadn't. In 2002, when discussing the scene, she said simply, "yeah, that wasn't so good." (24th Century Wedding, DS9 Season 6 DVD, Special Features) Trivia * In this episode, we learn that Jadzia Dax's father's name is Kela, and that the Dax symbiont is 356 years old. It is also revealed that Curzon Dax negotiated the Khitomer Accords and was present at the Khitomer Conference in 2293. Also present (as seen in ) were Colonel Worf, the grandfather of Jadzia Dax's husband, and Dr. Leonard McCoy, who had a brief relationship with Emony Dax in 2245. * This episode marks the final appearance of Alexander Rozhenko on Star Trek. * In the episode " ", 's Klingon "wedding dress" is a homage to Jadzia's in this episode. Apocrypha * The conversation that Kira and Odo have in this episode is revealed in a series of flashbacks in the DS9 relaunch novel, Worlds of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Volume 3. Video and DVD releases *UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 6.4, . *As part of the DS9 Season 6 DVD collection. Links and References Guest Stars *J.G. Hertzler as Martok *Marc Worden as Alexander Rozhenko *Shannon Cochran as Sirella *Chase Masterson as Leeta *Aron Eisenberg as Nog *Max Grodénchik as Rom Co-Star *Sidney Liufau as Manuele Atoa Uncredited Co-Stars *Mark Allen Shepherd as Morn *James Lee Stanley as a Bajoran security deputy *Randy James as Lieutenant Jones *Chester E. Tripp III (stunt actor) *Unknown actor as an operations division lieutenant References ''Akagi'', USS; Altair sandwich; Bajoran shrimp; Bre'Nan; ''Bre'Nan'' ritual; The Dark Time; Dax (symbiont); Curzon Dax; ''Defiant'', USS; d'k tahg; ''Exeter'', USS; fast; Hamar Mountains; holosuite program; holosuite; hydrostatic system; Kal'Hyah; ''Kal'Hyah'' ritual; Kahless the Unforgettable; "Kahless and Lukara"; Karana; kava; ''kava'' juice; Kela; Khitomer Accords; Klingons; Klingon Second Dynasty; Klingon Third Dynasty; Klingon Empire; Klingon mythology; Klingon wedding; K'Trelan; linguini; Linkasa; Ma'Stakas; ''mapa'' bread; ; Morn; mushrooms; Ninth Fleet; ''Potemkin'', USS; raktajino; Reclaw; ''Rotarran'', IKS; Shelby; Shenara; Sisko, Jake; slut; spring; Starfleet Fleets; steak; ''Sutherland'', USS; targ; Tawi'Yan; Toruk'DoH; ''var'Hama'' candle; wedding; ''Ya'Vang'', IKS; ''Yeager''-type starship |next= }} Category:DS9 episodes de:Klingonische Tradition es:You Are Cordially Invited... nl:You Are Cordially Invited...